Roger Federer signs up as ambassador for Australian Open 2014 Kids’ Tennis Day

Swiss tennis superstar Roger Federer has signed up to be an ambassador for the Kid’s Tennis Day at the Australian Open 2014 tournament. This special event will take place on January 11, 2014. Aside from this, there will be a special recognition to be made for Brad Drewett, the former ATP CEO who died from a motor neurone disease earlier in 2013.

The Australian Open organizers have officially launched the event on Tuesday by outlining the new plans for the upcoming event. The first Grand Slam event of the season will feature an increased prize money with it’s total now at $31 million, a hike of $2.8 million.

Tennis great Pete Sampras will be making an appearance at the event at the conclusion of the men’s event as he’s slated to present the trophy to the winner.

Here are the other new events as presented by the Australian Open organizers (source):

– expanded Australian Open Trophy Tour through Asia, with first-time visits to Korea, Singapore and Hong Kong

– launch of Australia’s largest ever tennis participation drive, the AO Blitz
– a special recognition of Brad Drewett and his contribution to the sport
– Kerry Melville Reid to be inducted into the Australian Tennis Hall of Fame
– a Legends Lunch on the final Saturday to honour Mervyn Rose and celebrate the members of the 1957 Australian Davis Cup team
– new public steakhouse style restaurant Grass ‘n’ Grain on the River Terrace
– elegant new contemporary Australian dining option, Zest, overlooking Garden Square
– major sponsor Kia Motors has extended its long-running sponsorship until 2018
– associate sponsor Jacob’s Creek has signed on for a further five years
– international electronics brand Hisense joins the Australian Open as official supplier of TVs, providing more than 1000 on-site during Australian Open 2014
– Australian Open 2014 ticket pre-sales at historic high levels
– the official Australian Open online shop, www.australianopenshop.com goes live today, launching the new 2014 official licensed products, including popular player towels.
– retired tennis superstar Pete Sampras to return to Melbourne 20 years after winning the first of his two Australian Open men’s singles championships.